Article of wearing apparel, accessory, and the like



June 30, 1942. H S AUM r 2,288,313

ARTICLES 0F WEARING APPAREL, ACCESSORIES, AND THE'LIKE Filed Feb. 8,1940 4 Shets-Sheet 1 STRE S 5 STRAIN GRAPH FIZD 5 u I 5 Mun Z \g L! an Aw CURVE N124. EU MATERIAL: .75X.u4u"x E"L.E1NG

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ARTICLES OF WEARING APPAREL, ACCESSORIES, AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 8,1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 ELUNBATIDN-TIMEI TEST 12D zouas (mun LE5.PERsamcu) 201.55 555.5 LB5.PER BD sm. |N|:H)

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ARTICLES OF WEARING APPAREL,ACCESSORIES, AND THE'LIKE H. BUCHSBAUM E'TAL2,288,313 7 Filed Feb. 8, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 (RETURN CURVE UF 4" x.75 x1140" SAMPLE AFTER BEING STRETEHED WITH 22.5 LE5. THEN TDTAL.WEIGHT REMOVED.) RDUM TEMRZ '70 F.

3U 4U 5U El] 70 TIME- s scum 5 'm-n m s-- June 1942- H. BUCHSBAUM ET AL2,283,313 ARTICLES OF WEARING APPAREL, ACCESSORIES, AND THE- LIKE FiledFeb. 8, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented June 30, 1942 ARTICLE OF WEARINGAPPAREL, ACCESSORY, AND THE LIKE Herbert Buchsbaum and Leonard Becker,Chicago, Ill., asslgnors to S. Buchsbaum & Company, Chicago, 111., acorporation of Illinois Application February 8, 1940, Serial No. 318,006

2 Claims.

The invention relates to articles of wearing apparel, accessories andthe like, which when worn or otherwise used, constrict, press or pullagainst the wearer or other user, either continuously, intermittently oroccasionally. The in vention has particular reference to articles ofapparel such as stockings, belts, garters, suspenders and girdles, whichnormally continuously constrict, press or pull against the wearer. Sucharticles are normally worn in a stretched condition and may furtherextend or contract on movements of the wearer. The invention alsoincludes and has advantages in handbags, brief cases and other luggagewhich may press against the hands of the user when the luggage isstretched in order to add Or remove articles from the nearly fullluggage. The invention may likewise include articles such as boots andshoes, rain-coats and capes, and other apparel which sometimes, atleast, constrict, press, or pull against the wearer as, for example,during adjustment of the article to conform to the foot or body of theuser.

In the claims, the term body constricting type of supporter is used todescribe articles of apparel such as belts, garters, girdles, suspendersand the like, which 'during normal use are worn under tension overa partof the body.

Heretofore articles of apparel which are subjected to extensivestretching have enerally been made of rubber. For example, garmentsupporters made of rubber have the advantage of remaining tense and ofholding garments in place through a wide range of stresses such as areset up during movement of the wearer. However, such articles made ofrubber must be stretched to a considerable degree at all times in orderthat the tension be suflicient to hold the garment. This results in acertain amount of binding or pulling against the body of the wearer.This discomfort caused by such supporter type rubber articles is adisadvantage which the art has accepted for many years.

Another disadvantage of supporter type articles made or rubber is thatwhen the articles are in their normal stretched position slight andsudden changes in stress which may be immediately relieved cause animmediate and sometimes wide change in the shape of the apparel, as forexample, a quick lengthening and narrowing oi abelt or suspender strap.

Likewise, when brief cases and like containers made of rubber arestretched in order to add to the contents, the quick return of therubber after stress has been removed is a disadvantage. In most cases,the user places his hand in the container in order to stretch it so asto add or remove articles. The contraction of the rubber walls of thecontainer against the hand is so sudden that the hand undergoesconsiderable discomfort before it can be removed. After removal 01 thehand the walls must again be stretched and will again quickly contractfor each article that is added or removed.

Furthermore, articles adapted to be stretched which are fabricated fromrubber filaments or threads have thesame disadvantages as articlesfabricated from sheets. Thus hosiery knitted from rubber threads isobjectionable from the point of view of comfort and appearance.

We realized that these and other objectionable features of rubber belts,suspenders, garters, brief cases and like articles could be overcome bymaking the article of an elastic material which has a sluggish or lazystretch for a substantial distance when placed under stress, and also aslow return to its original dimensions when the stress is removed. Inother words, the ideal material is a material which is capable ofstretching a considerable distance, which stretches under a given stressover a given distance much more slowly than any rubber which hashitherto been used for the same purpose, and which also has a slowthough persistent return to its original dimensions when external stressis removed.

The material in suitable and customary thickness and widths for belts,straps, etc., should also be capable of withstanding the ordinarymaximum stress produced by the user during normal usage, yet capable ofstretching a substantial distance under a stress much smaller than themaximum which the user exerts durin normal usage.

In accordance with our invention, suitable materials for articlessubject to stretching such as belts, suspenders and garters arematerials having an ultimate tensile strength of at least 500 pounds persq. inch, and which under a tensile stress of 1000 pounds per sq. inchshould stretch of its length within the elastic limit in a period of atleast 5 seconds. On removal of the said tensile stress, the materialshould also return substantially to its original dimensions and requirea period of from 3 to 30 seconds to return from 100% to 50% its originaldimensions.

Preferably the material should have an ultimate tensile strength of atleast 1000 pounds per sq. inch, an elastic extensibility of at least100% of its length, and should require a tensile stressof not more than2500 lbs. per sq. inch to produce 50% strain starting from zero strain.Under a tensile stress of 1000 pounds, the material should stretch 100%of its length within the elastic limit in a period of at least 10seconds. On removal of the tensile stress, the material should alsoreturn substantially to its original dimensions and require a period toreturn from 100% to 50% of its original dimensions of from to 20seconds. For preferred results the stress-strain diagram shouldsubstantially be that shown in curve I 01 Fig. 1; the elongation- Thepreferred vinyl resins are the conjoint polymers of vinyl chloride andvinyl acetate described in Reid Patent 1,935,577, in which the vinylchloride is present in major amount compared with the vinyl acetate.

Suitable and preferred proportions of plasticizer will vary somewhatwith the type of vinyl resin and the type of plasticizer. In general theamount and type of plasticizer should be such as to give a vinyl resincomposition which is nontacky and which has substantial flexibility andelastic extensibility at normal room temperature, and preferably betweentemperatures of 0 F. to 100 F. Also the character and amount ofplasticizer should not cause decrease in tensile strength to below 500lbs. per sq. inch, and pref erably not below 1000 lbs. per square inch.On the other hand, suflicient plasticizer should preferably be presentso that the tensile strength is not more than 2500 lbs. per sq. inch toproduce at least strain. A suitable ultimate tensile strength for vinylresin compositions is approximately 1400 lbs. per sq. inch based on theoriginal cross section, or 3500 lbs. per sq. inch based on final crosssection at break.

The invention is further illustrated in the accompanying drawings,wherein I Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a belt or gartermade of a material (designated by the reference character l0) having thecharacteristics set forth in Examples I and II;

Fig. 5 is a section taken along line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a belt made in accordance with ExamplesI and II;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a garter made in accordance withExamples I and II.

The following examples illustrate compositions which have been foundsatisfactory for supporter type articles and other articles adapted tobe stretched, but it is not desired to limit the invention to materialsmade of such specific compositions.

EXAMPLE I Per cent by weight Dimethoxy ethyl phthalate (methox) 20'Dibutyl sebacate 7 Vinyl resin 73 The materials in the above formulawere compounded on a mill, calendered into sheets of suitable thickness,andthen cut to the desired dimensions for a belt, garter or suspender.The sheets and articles made therefrom were odorless, transparent,non-tacky, waterproof, perspiration-alcohol-proof, easily cleanable, andnot capable of supporting combustion. They were tough and durable andwould not scuff or crack even at temperatures of 0 F., or after longperiods of exposure to sunlight. Smooth, high gloss sheets of thematerial had a sliding coeflicient of friction of .3249 at 68 F., whentested with a block wrapped with cotton broadcloth, as compared with acoeflicient of friction for glass of .2867 and of soft vulcanized rubber(inner tubes) of .9004 tested under the same conditions. Physical testson the material in strips having a width of .75 inch and thickness of.040 incilfire shown in the following Tables I, II an TABLE I (See Fig.1)

0 Weight, Length, Time, Percent lbs. inch sec. elong.

(Break) TABLE II (See Fig. 2)

Weight, Length, Time Percent lbs. inch sec. ong.

Original length-4.37 inches.

TABLE III (See Fig. 3)

Weight Length Time, 'Percent lbs. inch sec. elong.

Original 1ength-4.0 inches.

The stress-strain diagram of this material is shown by curve I of Fig.1, and diners from rubber as shown from the stress-strain diagram for arubber carcass stock shown in curve 2 of l. The curves of time againststrain for given stresses are shown in Fig. 2. The return curve is shownin Fig. 3.

The proportions shown in the formula of Example 1 are the preferredproportions. The ratio of dibutyl sebacate to "methox" of '1 to 20 hasbeen found to give the best results consistent with lack of odor andsuitable tensile strength. Increasing the proportion of dibutyl sebacategives an odor to the material which may be objectionable. Both "methoxand dibutyl sebacate are plasticizers. "Methox is odorless and dibutylsebacate has an odor. However, the dibutyl sebacate lowers what issometimes called the freezing point of the composition. When methox" isused without dibutyl sebacate, the belts, suspenders and the like madefrom the composition are apt to crack on flexing at low temperatures,such as temperatures of F., whereas with the dibutyl sebacate the beltsand other articles may be flexed without cracking at such a lowtemperature.

The vinyl resin given in the formula of Example I was a conjoint polymerof vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate made in accordance with the ReidPatent 1,935,577, and included a small amoint of basic stabilizer suchas described in Grof Patent 1,966,856. The particular vinyl resin usedwas produced by conjointly polymerizing 80 parts by weight of vinylchloride and parts of vinyl acetate, and was about 75% insoluble intoluene at C. It was admixed with 1 part of calcium stearate in 100parts of resin. However, other conjoint polymers of vinyl chloride andvinyl acetate are suitable and include those ranging from 90% vinylchloride and 10% vinyl acetate to 10% vinyl chloride and 90% vinylacetate. Preferably, however, the proportion should be 70% or more ofvinyl chloride and or less of vinyl acetate with less than 30% of theresin being soluble in cold (25 to 30 C.) toluene.

The proportion of sebacate and methox) to vinyl resin may vary 'quitewidely. Belts, suspenders and garters having suitable lazy stretchcharacteristics may be made when the proportion of plasticizer to vinylresin is as low as 21% and as highas 32%. Preferably, however, theproportion of plasticizer should not be lower than about 22% and higherthan about 30% in order to obtain satisfactory elasticity andnon-tackiness at temperatures from zero degrees Fahrenheit to 100 F. orsuch as are within the ordinary range of atmospheric conditions. Thespecific preferred proportion is that shown in the formula, namely, 27%,which has the physical characteristics heretofore 1ndicated.

Another composition besides that shown in Example I which has been foundsuitable, is as follows:

EXAMPLE II Parts by weight Triethylene glycol di-2-ethyl butyrate 25Counter-odorant Trace Vinyl resin 75 This composition was compounded andmade into belts in the same manner as described for the composition ofExample I. The material had slightly higher tensile strength (2,000 lbs.per sq. in.) than the material of Example I, and was odoriferous but notobjectionably so. Otherwise its characteristics and suitability wassubstantially the same as the material of Example I. The vinyl resinused was the same as in Example I. The range of suitable and preferredproportions of plasticizer to vinyl resin was slightly greater than forExample I.

total plasticizer (dibutyl Suitable and preferred proportions ofplasticizer to vinyl resin will vary somewhat with the type of vinylresin and the type of plasticizer. The proportions and type ofplasticizer given in Examples I and II are merely illustrative ofproportions and types which give suitable "lazy stretch characteristicsand are not intended to limit the invention to the specific proportionsand kind of plasticizer shown.

The compositions may be made into articlesof manufacture in variousways. In the case of belts, suspender straps, brief cases, handbags,boots, shoes, raincoats and capes, and the like, the composition isordinarily calendered into sheets which are then cut to the requiredsize and shape. These sheets may be. single sheets or composite sheetslaminated together and having tinsel or powdered glass between layers.The sheets and articles made therefrom may be transparent, or may becolored and translucent or opaque. The material may be given a smoothgloss finish by means of hot smooth polished platens, or other means.Such gloss surface improves the appearance and gives decreasedfrictional resistance to sliding, and are important advantages ingarment supporters and other articles adapted to slide against the bodyor clothing.

The invention has particular advantages for articles which are normallyin a state of elastic extension such as, for example, in the case ofgarment supporters which are being worn. Likewise, as ha's beenhereinbefore pointed out, the lazy stretch characteristics are ofadvantage for brief cases, handbags and like containers. However, thelazy stretch characteristics are also of advantage in articles such asboots and shoes, rain-capes, and other apparel because of the ease inwhich such materials are made adjustable to the body of the wearer.

One of the greatest advantages of lazy stretch is in filaments or fibersand textile articles fabricated therefrom, particularly articles such asstockings which are under substantial elastic extension while beingworn, and which extension is subject to intermittent large variationsdue to movements of the wearer.

The compositions described in this specification such as thecompositions of Examples I and II, and compositions in which polyvinylchloride is substituted for the vinyl resins used in Examples I and II,may be made into elastic filaments which, when fabricated into articlesadapted to be stretched, give improved characteristics of stretch to thearticles without causing discomfort to the wearer. same stress-strainand lazy stretch characteristics as the belts, garters, suspender strapsand the like, made from the sheets and strips. The filaments have suchstrength and elasticity that single filaments of the diameter ofordinary thread used in making hosiery can be knitted into a stockingwithout twisting or doubling the filaments into a yarn or thread. Thefilaments are preferably made by heating the composition to a hotplastic molten condition, and then drawing a filament directly from themolten mass, cooling the filament, and winding it continuously on amoving drum or reel until the molten mass is exhausted. The diameter ofthe filament is regulated by controlling the rate of reeling. The higherthe rate of reeling the finer will be the filament. The compositionswhich give lazy stretch are particularly suitable for carrying out thisdrawing process of making filaments in The filaments have the,

which extrusion is not used at any stage of the process.

While the invention has been illustrated in examples in connection withthe conjoint polymers of vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate, it may becarried out with other copolymers and other vinyl resins, includingpolyvinyl chloride and polyvinyl acetal, by regulating the type andamount of plasticizer to obtain the described characteristics. It isalso contemplated that other elastomers or elasto resins may be used, asfor example the elastic polymethacrylates, provided they have thedescribed physical characteristics, or can be modified by means ofplasticizers or otherwise to give the described physicalcharacteristics. However, the hereinbefore described plasticizedconjoint polymers of vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate give superiorresults for the purpose of this invention over any materials we havebeen able to find or make.

We do not desire to be limited to any theory as to the action of ourvinyl resin. However, it is known that in the case of natural rubber theincrease in elongation for relatively small expenditure of energy i onlyvery small but above a well defined range of deformation the increasesuddenly becomes very large. In the case of our plasticized vinyl resin,the relation is just the opposite for here the increase in elongation isat first relatively great and then becomes slow. This is shown in thestress-strain curves of Fig. 1. Materials having these properties ofgiving large changes in elongation with low stress at the beginning ofstretch and of giving only slight changes in elongation with relativelyhigh stress near the limit of stretch, are particularly suitable forbelts, suspenders and the like, where after an initial stretch is madeit is desired to keep further stretch as low as possible.

We also believe that the damping efiect obtained with our material has agreat deal to do with its value for belts, suspenders and the likearticles. This damping effect, according to our View, is due to the factthat in order to stretch our material it is necessary to overcome a highresistance to plastic flow as well as the inherent elastic restoringforce of the material. Our ma terial seems to have plastic flow whenplaced under stress, and this type of flow, combined with a highresistance to plastic flow, gives what is called a lazy stretch ordamping action. The damping action is similar to that obtained whenclosed cell sponge rubber is extended, the extension being resisted bythe compression of the air in the cells, as well as by the inherentelastic restoring force. In our material, however, '(unamount as tomaterial must overcome a high. resistance to plastic flow which isnearly equal to the elastic restoring force, whereas with ordinarystretch .soft vulcanized rubber the resistance or return tosubstantially original size is very pared to the elastic restoringforce.

While there have been shown and described certain embodiments of theinvention, it is to be understood that it is capable of manymodifications. Changes, therefore, may be made without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention as described in the appendedclaims, in which it is the intention to claim all novelty inherent inthe invention as broadly as possible, in view of the prior art.

We claim:

1. In a body constricting type of garment supporter, a gloss surfacedstrap consisting essentially of a vinyl resin, which is a co -polymer ofvinyl chloride and vinyl acetate, and a plasticizer, the vinyl resin andplasticizer being of small, com- 'such character and present in suchamount as to give a composition which is non-tacky and has substantialflexibility and elastic extensibility over a temperature range of 0 F.to F., said strap being further characterized by a relatively slowreturn to zero elongation after substantial elastic extension, and arelatively low coeflicient of friction compared to vulcanizedsoft rubberstrap of equal tensile strength and surface smoothness tested undercomparable conditions. 2. In a body constricting type of supporter whichin normal use'completely encircles a portion of the body of the wearer,a gloss surfaced strap consisting essentially of a vinyl resin, which isa co-polymer of vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate, and a plasticizer, thevinyl resin and plasticizer being of such character and present in suchgive a composition which is non- -tacky and has substantial flexibilityand elastic extensibility over a temperature range of 0 F. to 100 F.,said strap being further characterized by a relatively slow return tozero elongation after substantial elastic extension, and a relativelylow coefficient of friction compared to vulcanized soft rubber strap ofequal tensile strength and surface smoothness tested under comparableconditions.

HERBERT BUCHSBAUM. LEONARD BECKER.-

